Rabithakur

A ballet on the life of Tagore

Scene selection from the premiere performance of the ballet 'RabiThakur' on November 12th 2012 at Victoria Theater, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark, NJ To schedule a performance with either a small ensemble or symphony orchestra: info@cristianotiozzo.com info@tabla.org RabiThakur, a completely new piece and one of its kind, presented as part of the South Asian Theater Festival co-hosted by NJPAC and Epic Actors' Workshop.

Rabindranath Thakur, also known as Tagore, had a very complex life. He was continuously in the midst of ambivalence driven by uncertain preferences between the east and the west, city and village, isolation and company and many such dichotomies. Yet, how he churned out the nectar from this ocean of turmoil is a miracle to observe. The emotional upheavals of Tagore’s life contributed enormously into the making of what he became, and they always found expression in his creativity. He had failures as much as successes, shortcomings as well as triumphs. The study of such juxtaposition is important in understanding what made him so different, so far elevated from the rest of us: how he transcended from mere human to the superhuman level.

RabiThakur is a portrayal of the intricate pattern of Rabindranath’s emotional life through music and dance movements. Rabindranath himself said, “In my life I may have done many things that were unworthy, with or without knowing, but in my poetry I have never uttered anything false; it is the sanctuary for the deepest truths I know.” RabiThakur is our approach to that Truth. It is developed in seven movements.